Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili made an extensive address late last night in which she slammed the Georgian Government and the ruling party for “spoiling work” in the run up to the European Commission and the Council’s deliberations on whether to grant Georgia an EU candidate status.
Yet, while rolling out number of serious allegations towards the Government as well as the ruling party leaders, Ms Zourabichvili spared no effort to shield oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili and specifically blasted Georgian Dream for allowing his inclusion into the recent European Parliament resolution on Violations of Media Freedom and the Safety of Journalists in Georgia.
Zourabichvili also stirred a major controversy by calling to postpone a major pro-European rally scheduled for June 20, the anniversary of June 20, 2019 mass protests and the subsequent violent crackdown triggered by the Russian Communist MP Sergey Gavrilov’s appearance in the Georgian parliament’s speaker chair upon invitation of Georgian Dream.
Ms Zourabichvili instead called for another “silent” rally on June 16 to “show unity” ahead of the European Commission’s recommendation to be issued on June 17 and the Council decision on June 24.
Most opposition parties said the call was aimed at discrediting the June 20 rally, organized by the Shame Movement, and “splitting the society.”
Georgian Dream Chair Irakli Kobakhidze rebuffed Zourabivhcili’s criticism and said the ruling party would not join the June 16 rally.
German Ambassador Hubert Knirsch quickly came out saying he would attend the rally called for by the President who also called other diplomats to attend.
Contrary to widespread speculations, Zourabichvili did not pardon political prisoners such as Mtavari TV CEO Nika Gvaramia and former President Mikheil Saakashvili both of whom were extensively addressed in the EP resolution. However, the President insisted the Resolution was ‘unfair’ and included ‘inaccuracies’ particularly in the context of the call to sanction Mr Ivanishvili and the Government could have avoided it but did not do the “necessary work.”
She also said the resolution, still an “expression of sentiment rather than the final EU decision” was in part the result of work of the “radical” opposition while also adding that the outlandish statements and attacks on key MEPs by Georgian Dream leaders also contributed to the grave state of affairs in Brussels.
President Zourabichvili also slammed GD’s consistently aggressive rhetoric towards the Ukrainian Government, stressing that verbal attacks on the country at war are “unacceptable” and “against Georgian traditions.”
Zourabichvili went on to slam the Government’s consistent message as if the western countries are trying to drag Georgia into the war and force it to “open the second front” declaring such speculation as an outright “lie.”
She also mentioned several laws such as amendments to the Law on Surveillance as well as scrapping of the State Inspector’s Service as damaging to Georgia’s application, falling to mention that she could but did not veto either of the laws.
In conclusion, Ms Zourabichvili appealed to the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to “recognize the interests of the Georgian people” in the Commission’s deliberation on Georgia’s EU bid.
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